1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to shuffling and sorting apparatus for providing randomly arranged articles and especially to the shuffling of playing cards for gaming uses. The invention also relates to a method and apparatus for providing randomly shuffled deck(s) of cards in a rapid and efficient manner and a capability of automatically calibrating the apparatus during operation and during initial setup to compensate for various card sizes and card thicknesses.
2. Background of the Art
In the gaming industry, certain games require that randomly shuffled cards are provided to players and sometimes to dealers in live card games. It is important that the cards are shuffled thoroughly and randomly to prevent players from having an advantage by knowing the position of specific cards or groups of cards in the final arrangement of cards delivered in the play of the game. At the same time, it is advantageous to have the deck(s) shuffled in a very short period of time so that there is minimal downtime in the play of the game.
Johnson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,944,310 (assigned to Shuffle Master, Inc., assignee of the present application) describes a card handling apparatus comprising: a loading station for receiving cards to be shuffled; a chamber to receive a main stack of cards; delivery means for delivering individual cards from the loading station to the chamber; a dispensing station to dispense individual cards for a card game; transfer means for transferring a lowermost card from the main stack to the dispensing station; and a dispensing sensor for sensing one of the presence and absence of a card in the dispensing station. The dispensing sensor is coupled to the transfer means to cause a transfer of a card to the dispensing station when an absence of a card in the dispensing station is sensed by the dispensing sensor. Individual cards delivered from the loading station are randomly inserted by an insertion means into different randomly selected positions in the main stack to obtain a randomly shuffled main stack from which cards are individually dispensed. The insertion means includes vertically adjustable gripping means to separate the main stack into two spaced apart substacks to enable insertion of a card between the substacks by the insertion means. The gripping means is vertically positionable along the edges of the main stack. After gripping, the top portion of the stack is lifted, forming two substacks. At this time, a gap is created between the stacks. This shuffler is marketed under the name QUICKDRAW™ shuffler in the United States and abroad.
Similarly, Johnson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,683,085 (also assigned to Shuffle Master, Inc.) describes an apparatus for shuffling or handling a batch of cards including a chamber in which a main stack of cards is supported, a loading station for holding a secondary stack of cards, and a card separating mechanism for separating cards at a series of positions along the main stack. The separating mechanism allows the introduction of cards from the secondary stack into the main stack at those positions. The separating mechanism grips cards at the series of positions along the stack and lifts those cards at and above the separation mechanism to define spaces in the main stack for introduction of cards from the secondary stack.
Breeding et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,139,014 and 6,068,258 (assigned to Shuffle Master, Inc.) describe a machine for shuffling multiple decks of playing cards in a batch-type process. The device includes a first vertically extending magazine for holding a stack of unshuffled playing cards, and second and third vertically extending magazines each for holding a stack of cards, the second and third magazines being horizontally spaced from and adjacent to the first magazine. A first card mover is positioned at the top of the first magazine for moving cards from the top of the stack of cards in the first magazine to the second and third magazines to cut the stack of unshuffled playing cards into two unshuffled stacks. Second and third card movers are located at the top of the second and third magazines, respectively, for randomly moving cards from the top of the stack of cards in the second and third magazines, respectively, back to the first magazine, thereby interleaving the cards to faun a vertically registered stack of shuffled cards in the first magazine. Elevators are provided in the magazines to bring the cards into contact with the card movers. This shuffler design is currently marketed under the names MD1® shuffler and MD1.1 ™ shuffler in the United States and abroad.
Sines et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,019,368 describes a playing card shuffler having an unshuffled stack holder that holds an infeed array of playing cards. One or more ejectors are mounted adjacent the unshuffled stack holder to eject cards from the infeed array at various random positions. Multiple ejectors are preferably mounted on a movable carriage. Extractors are advantageously used to assist in removing playing cards from the infeed array. Removal resistors are used to provide counteracting forces resisting displacement of cards, to thereby provide more selective ejection of cards from the infeed array. The automated playing card shuffler comprises a frame; an unshuffled stack holder for holding an unshuffled array of playing cards in a stacked configuration with adjacent cards in physical contact with each other and forming an unshuffled stack; a shuffled array receiver for holding a shuffled array of playing cards; at least one ejector for ejecting playing cards located at different positions within the unshuffled stack; and a drive which is controllable to achieve a plurality of different relative positions between the unshuffled stack holder and the at least one ejector. This shuffler design is currently marketed under the name RANDOM EJECTION SHUFFLER™.
Sines et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,676,372 describes an automated playing card shuffler, comprising: a frame; an unshuffled stack holder for holding an unshuffled stack of playing cards; a shuffled stack receiver for holding a shuffled stack of playing cards; at least one ejector carriage mounted adjacent to the unshuffled stack holder, the at least one ejector carriage and the unshuffled stack holder mounted to provide relative movement between the unshuffled stack holder and the at least one ejector carriage; a plurality of ejectors mounted upon the at least one ejector carriage adjacent the unshuffled stack holder for ejecting playing cards from the unshuffled stack, the ejecting occurring at various random positions along the unshuffled stack.
Grauzer et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,149,154 (assigned to Shuffle Master, Inc.) describes an apparatus for moving playing cards from a first group of cards into plural groups, each of the plural groups containing a random arrangement of cards, the apparatus comprising: a card receiver for receiving the first group of unshuffled cards; a single stack of card receiving compartments generally adjacent to the card receiver, the stack generally adjacent to and movable with respect to the first group of cards; and a drive mechanism that moves the stack by means of translation relative to the first group of unshuffled cards; a card moving mechanism between the card receiver and the stack; and a processing unit that controls the card moving mechanism and the drive mechanism so that a selected quantity of cards is moved into a selected number of compartments. This shuffler is currently marketed under the name ACE® shuffler in the United States and abroad.
Grauzer et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,254,096 (assigned to Shuffle Master, Inc.) describes an apparatus for continuously shuffling playing cards, the apparatus comprising: a card receiver for receiving a first group of cards; a single stack of card receiving compartments generally adjacent to the card receiver, the stack generally vertically movable, wherein the compartments translate substantially vertically, and means for moving the stack; a card moving mechanism between the card receiver and the stack; a processing unit that controls the card moving mechanism and the means for moving the stack so that cards placed in the card receiver are moved into selected compartments; a second card receiver for receiving cards from the compartments; and a second card moving mechanism between the compartments and the second card receiver for moving cards from the compartments to the second card receiver. This shuffler design is marketed under the name KING® shuffler in the United States and abroad.
Johnson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,267,248 (assigned to Shuffle Master, Inc.) describes an apparatus for arranging playing cards in a desired order, the apparatus including: a housing; a sensor to sense playing cards prior to arranging; a feeder for feeding the playing cards sequentially past the sensor; a storage assembly having a plurality of storage locations in which playing cards may be arranged in groups in a desired order, wherein the storage assembly is adapted for movement in at least two directions during shuffling; a selectively programmable computer coupled to the sensor and to the storage assembly to assemble in the storage assembly groups of playing cards in a desired order; a delivery mechanism for selectively delivering playing cards located in selected storage locations of the storage assembly; and a collector for collecting arranged groups of playing cards. The storage assembly in one example of the invention is a carousel containing a plurality of card storage compartments.
Although these and other structures are available for the manufacture of playing card shuffling apparatus, new improvements and new designs are desirable. In particular, it would be desirable to provide a batch-style shuffler that is faster, provides random shuffling and is more compact than currently available shuffler designs. It would also be desirable to provide a shuffler capable of automatically making adjustments to compensate for varying card dimensions during setup as well as while in operation.